Self-hosted videos don’t come with a ready-made thumbnail the way YouTube and Vimeo videos do. The Capture Frame tool solves this: scrub through your MP4 right inside the editor, pause on the perfect moment, and set that exact frame as the Featured Image — no video editor needed.
In any Video Settings metabox, select Self-Hosted Video and add your MP4 — click Upload Video to pick one from the Media Library, or paste a direct link in the MP4 (h.264) video URL field.
A player preview loads below the field. Play or scrub the video and pause at the frame you want.
Click Capture frame as Featured Image.
The frame is saved to your Media Library and set as the Featured Image immediately.
The Featured Image is what appears in portfolio galleries, the homepage slideshow, archives, and social shares — so pick a frame that works as a poster.
Where it’s available
The tool appears everywhere Inspiro accepts a self-hosted video — six places in total:
Portfolio posts (Portfolio → Add New, Video Settings metabox)
Video Lightbox tab
Video Background on Hover tab
Video Background on Single Post tab
Slideshow items (Slideshow → Add New, Video Settings metabox)
Video Lightbox tab
Video Background tab
Posts and pages
The Video Background in Header option in the Video Settings metabox
Good to know
The tool works with self-hosted MP4s. For YouTube and Vimeo videos, use the platform’s own thumbnail or set a Featured Image manually.
You can re-capture a different frame anytime — each capture is saved as a new image in the Media Library, so nothing is overwritten.
Prefer a custom-designed cover? Just set a Featured Image the usual way; the capture tool is entirely optional.
